JD(U) leader quits party over Waqf Bill, Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismisses him as 'non-entity'

Patna: JD(U) leader Mohammed Qasim Ansari on Thursday resigned from the party in protest against the party’s support to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha despite widespread opposition.

In a letter to JD(U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Ansari said the party’s stance had shattered the trust of millions of Indian Muslims who believed JD(U) would uphold secular values.

However, when asked about Ansari, JD(U) national spokesman Rajiv Ranjan Prasad dismissed him as "non-entity" and claimed that nobody knew him.

"Who is he? He has never been an office bearer of consequence in the party or a prominent figure. I don’t even know him. He never held any post in the party, even at the district level. He is a non-entity," Prasad told PTI.

Interestingly, JD(U) did not contest the Dhaka Assembly seat in East Champaran district in the last elections, which is currently represented by BJP’s Pawan Jaiswal. Ansari had earlier claimed that he was the potential candidate of the party from that seat in the upcoming Assembly polls.

A key aide of the Bihar CM said there was "no confusion" within JD(U) regarding the party’s support for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.

Senior minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who previously served as the state president of the party, made the remark when asked about leaders like national general secretary Ghulam Rasool Baliywai publicly expressing dissatisfaction with JD(U)’s stance on the issue.

"There is no confusion within the party over the Waqf Amendment Bill. All party leaders, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, are in support of the Bill," Choudhary told PTI.

In his letter to the Bihar CM, Ansari wrote, "Millions of Indian Muslims like us had unwavering faith in you as a flag bearer of a truly secular ideology. However, that belief has now been shattered. The stand taken by JD(U) on the Waqf Bill Amendment Act 2024 has deeply shocked millions of dedicated Indian Muslims and activists. We are extremely disheartened by the manner in which Lallan Singh delivered his speech and supported this bill in the Lok Sabha."